J.K. Rowling is best known for creating a literary empire from her Harry Potter series.  From being a poor, single mother writing her original concept on a napkin in a coffee show – to imagining some of the most popular and recognizable characters & stories the world has ever seen.  Even after getting rejected by dozens of publishers, Rowling persisted.  She is a prime example of how working hard, patience, following your passions can lead to massive success.  Rowling continues to be an advocate for world literacy, freedom, and following your dreams.

Here are 37 of J.K. Rowling’s Best Quotes:

1. “If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” – J.K. Rowling

2. “I was set free because my greatest fear had been realized, and I still had a daughter who I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea.  And so rock bottom became a solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.” – J.K. Rowling

3. “The truth.  It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and must therefore be treated with great caution.” – J.K. Rowling

4. “Failure is not fun.  It can be awful.  But living so cautiously that you never fail is worse.” – J.K. Rowling

5. “Talent and intelligence never yet inoculated anyone against the caprice of the fates.” – J.K. Rowling

6. “You are the true master of death, because the true master does not seek to run away from Death.  He accepts that he must die, and understands that there are far, far worse things in the living world than dying.” – J.K. Rowling

7. “It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.” – J.K. Rowling

8. “It is our choices…that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” – J.K. Rowling

9. “You sort of start thinking anything is possible if you’ve got enough nerve.” – J.K. Rowling

10. “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends” – J.K. Rowling

11. “If someone asked for my recipe for happiness, step one would be finding out what you love doing the most in the world and step two would be finding someone to pay you to do it.” – J.K. Rowling

12. “We can choose.  Things go largely like you want them to go.  You control your own life.  Your own will is extremely powerful.” – J.K. Rowling

13. “Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike.” – J.K. Rowling

14. “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” – J.K. Rowling

15. “We’ve all got both light and dark inside us.  What matters is the part we choose to act on.  That’s who we really are.” – J.K. Rowling

16. “People find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right.” – J.K. Rowling

17. “Failure means a stripping away of the inessential.” – J.K. Rowling

18. “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” – J.K. Rowling

19. “As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.” – J.K. Rowling

20. “To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” – J.K. Rowling

21. “Never be ashamed!  There’s some who’ll hold it against you, but they’re not worth bothering with.” – J.K. Rowling

22. “Is ‘fat’ really the worse thing a human being can be?  Is ‘fat’ worse than ‘vindictive’, ‘jealous’, ‘shallow’, ‘vain’, ‘boring’, or ‘cruel’?  Not to me.” – J.K. Rowling

23. “Whatever money you might have, self-worth really lies in finding out what you do best.” – J.K. Rowling

24. “You will never truly know yourself, or the strength of your relationships, until both have been tested by adversity.” – J.K. Rowling

25. “We have to choose between what is right, and what is easy.” – J.K. Rowling

26. “Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.” – J.K. Rowling

27. “The most important thing is to read as much as you can, life I did.  It will give you an understanding of what makes good writing and it will enlarge your vocabulary.” – J.K. Rowling

28. “We do not need magic to transform our world.  We carry all of the power we need inside ourselves already.” – J.K. Rowling

29. “Failure is so important.  We speak about success all the time.  It is the ability to resist failure or use failure that often leads to greater success.  I’ve met people who don’t want to try for fear of failing.” – J.K. Rowling

30. “You’ve got to work.  It’s about structure.  Its about discipline.  It’s all these deadly things that your schoolteacher told you you needed…you need it.” – J.K. Rowling

31. “I think you have a moral responsibility when you’ve been given far more than you need, to do wise things with it and give intelligently.” – J.K. Rowling

32. “What’s coming will come and we’ll just have to meet it when it does.” – J.K. Rowling

33. “It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default.” – J.K. Rowling

34. “I would like to be remembered as someone who did the best she could with the talent she had.” – J.K. Rowling

35. “Life is difficult, and complicated, and beyond anyone’s total control, and the humility to know that will enable you to survive is vicissitudes.” – J.K. Rowling

36. “The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive.” – J.K. Rowling

37. “The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed.” – J.K. Rowling

Which quote inspired you the most?  Comment below!